Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to apparatus and methods for handling wash water, and more particularly to portable sinks equipped with running water.
Description of Related Art
In the fields of building maintenance and remodeling, there are many occasions when a water supply is needed to perform cleaning operations. For simple cleaning jobs, a single bucket of water might suffice; however, for tasks like cleaning excess grout from newly-laid tile or paving stones, the wash water very quickly becomes filled with powder and therefore must be replenished frequently. This involves repeated trips to an appropriate place to dump the wastewater (generally outdoors) and refill the bucket.
What is needed is, first, a conveniently portable sink with the ability to replenish the water as needed, while safely discharging the wastewater stream to the outdoors, and second, a means of controlling the inlet and outlet flows to any selected flow rate for either a continuous or periodic replenishment of the water in the sink.
Objects and Advantages
Objects of the present invention include the following: providing a portable wash sink having controlled inlet and outlet flows; providing a portable wash sink that can be used indoors while discharging wastewater to the outdoors; providing a portable wash sink having a drain that acts as a controlled siphon; providing a portable wash sink in which the siphon action of the drain line can be stopped and started without the siphon running dry; providing a portable wash sink with valves to maintain selected inlet and outlet flows, prime the siphon in the drain line, and maintain a desired water level in the sink at all times; providing a siphon with a backflow preventive feature; and, providing a siphon that can be valved to reduce the fluid flow without having air enter the discharge side and thereby drain the siphon. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following specification, read in conjunction with the drawings.